Middle English Dictionary Entry
cāve n.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | cāve n.(1) Also cafe, caaf. |
| Etymology | OF cave & L cava. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A cavern, cave, den, or hollow; helle ~, the pit of hell; (b) ~ keping, living in a cave; (c) in names.
Associated quotations
a
- a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)186 : Caue ge [the ant] haueð to crepen in, ðat winter hire ne derie.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)1137 : Ðor he biggede in a caue ðe was ðor in roche grauen.
- c1330 SMChron.(Auch)946 : Col king regned here..Who so wil se his graue, It is at colchestre in a kaue.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.1573 : In a wilde place Undur an hull a Cave he fond.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)170b/a : Caue..is propre lotiyng and hidyng place of bestes.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)2182 : He boȝez to þe berȝe..al watz holȝ inwith, nobot an olde caue.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)4.m.7.23 : Poliphemus, ligginge in his grete cave.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)97/7 : Þai dwell in cafes.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.2390 : Cry of goostis in cauernys & cauys.
- a1450 LDirige(1) (Dgb 102)361 : We byseche þe..To bye vs..Wyl noȝt dampne in helle kaue.
- c1450(c1385) Chaucer Mars (Benson-Robinson)119,120 : Venus..fledde into a cave. Derk was this cave and smokyng as the helle.
- c1450(1410) Walton Boeth.(Lin-C 103)p.160 : Where þat þe crykes and þe caues bene Vnder þe floode, wiche ȝe may not sene.
- c1450 Lychefelde Comp.G.(Lamb 853)209/300 : Lete not my soule come in helle caaf!
- (c1450) Capgr.St.Aug.(Add 36704)20/25 : On of þese..cam in-to a caue where a heremyte dwelled.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)217/4 : There was in a caue two wode tygres.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)173/244 : Shuld a carll in a kafe bot of oone yere age Thus make me to rafe?
b
- a1425 Templ.Dom.(Add 32578)594 : Wrath may I likkyn wele by skille To wodnesse & to caue kepynge.
c
- (1332) Sub.R.War.in Dugd.Soc.654 : William o'the Caue.
- (1332) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 10296 : Walt. de Cauerugg.
2.
An excavated place, such as a cave to live in, a catacomb, a tunnel, a pit; fosse ~, a ditch.
Associated quotations
- c1330 SMChron.(Auch)869 : Caues he made mani on At glastingebirie vnder þe ston, Wonnige stede gode & sounde, Wel depe in þe hard grounde.
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3263 : Sampsoun..now is..in prisoun in a caue.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.159 : In Ethiopia..Some diggeþ caues and dennes, and woneþ vnder erþe.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)285a/a : A caue oþer a diche is y made vnder erþe, as it were a putfalle, in þe elephantes weye.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)12.254 : Whan his caroigne shal come in caue to be buryed.
- c1450(c1350) Alex.& D.(Bod 264)7 : Þei..hadde grave on þe ground many grete cavys, Þere here wonnynge was.
- c1450(c1350) Alex.& D.(Bod 264)13 : Þe kiddeste of þe cavus, þat was king holde.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423)68 : The cymytery cleped kalixti is undir þe cherch, a caue or ellis a myne undir þe ground.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)2427 : Cuthbert thoght a litil caue In his house to make and haue.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)17266 : She wente vp to a fosse kaue dep; And ther she bad me loke doun.
- a1475(a1447) Bokenham MAngl.(Hrl 4011)17/7 : A dwellynge of spellunkis or kavis, þe which..þe Danys..grauyd out of the harde stonys.
- a1500(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Dub 213)25/730* : Þis proud knyght, Cares hym downe into þe cafe þar as þe cors ligges.
3.
(a) A cavity or sinus (in the body); (b) a cell (in a honeycomb); (c) the follicle of a feather.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)84b/b : Þer is made cinus culpus, a bosom or a lap, A cauerne or caue, to which..ar drawen superfluiteez of nyȝ membrez.
b
- c1450(c1405) Mum & S.(2) (Add 41666)1101 : Thayr [bees'] dwellingz been dyuyded, I do hit on þaire combes, And many a queynt caue been cumpassid by þynne.
c
- a1475 Hrl.Bk.Hawking (Hrl 2340:Halliwell)303 : If a penne be broke in the cave, take another penne like the same and sewe here with a nedyl there.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. cave.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (1464) Doc.in Gilbert Cal.Dublin 1 ()316 : Hit ys grauntet..that Jamys Prendregast, clerke, have lycens to byll the cawe that ys callyt the Mayre ys set, and that he may bryng oute the wall and fowndement of the sayd cawe and sets ii fote into the pament in bothe sydes of the dor of the seller longyng for the sayd cawe and setys.
Note: New sense.
Note: Gloss: A cellar, perh. a wine cellar.
Note: DOST has a sense of cave = "cellar or dungeon; spec. a wine-cellar" which includes spelling cawe.
- c1400 St.Anne(1) (Min-U Z.822.N.81)1088 : Be þat tyme had myld mary bene So lange in þat ylke cafe, I wene, Yt was þan þe thyrd day.
Note: Additional quot. for ?sense 2.
Note: (As this is one of the traditional cave sites associated with the birth of Jesus, it may belong to sense 1.)--per MLL